Overview
Sponsors are the key stakeholders in nearly every project. Yet project sponsors often go through their careers without knowing what sponsorship means, except perhaps to approve the budget. However, engaged sponsorship is a differentiator between project success and failure.
Participants will obtain a more comprehensive perspective of the:
- Art of managing projects
- Role of sponsorship in project management
- Relationship between the project sponsor and the project manager
- Critical questions and activities a sponsor performs throughout the project lifecycle to ensure delivery of quality projects on time, within budget, and ahead of the competition
- Course Length:
- Virtual: 4 hours
- On-site: ½ day
- Professional Development Units (PDUs): 4 (2 Ways of Working, 2 Power Skills)
- Program Knowledge Level: Basic
- Field of Study: Business Management & Organization
- Prerequisites: Leadership Experience
- Advance Preparation: None
- Benefits: Engage sponsors to understand and appreciate their role in supporting the project
Key Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
Define the role and responsibilities of an effective sponsor
Contrast the sponsor role with the project manager (PM) role
Resolve problems that require authority above the project manager
Identify a generic project lifecycle
Recognize appropriate sponsor and project manager activities in support of the project lifecycle
Identify questions to ask to ensure the project is on track
Course Outline
Roles of the Sponsor and the Project Manager
- Define the roles and responsibilities of a sponsor
- Recognize different personas a sponsor might play while fulfilling their role
- Identify the attributes of an effective sponsor
- State the role of the project manager
- Contrast the project leadership role of the sponsor with the role of the PM
- Identify the purpose and importance of the PM/ Sponsor Partner document
Sponsorship in the Project Lifecycle
- Recognize the key activities for the sponsor and the project manager during each phase
of a generic project lifecycle
• State the key questions asked for each phase of the lifecycle
Project Sponsor Relationship Conflict Resolution Strategies
- Identify some common issues that project sponsors may have to deal with
- Think about what the reasons for the issue could be and ways to resolve them